Chargeback, dispute, retrieval request, inquiry: what each one means

Payment people use “dispute”, “chargeback”, “retrieval”, “inquiry” and “request for information” as if they were the same thing. They are not. Some of these stages move money and count against you with the card networks; others are a question from the bank that costs nothing if you answer it well. Knowing which one you are looking at decides how fast you need to act and what you should send.

This guide defines each term, shows where it sits in the dispute cycle, and maps it to the names used by three processors: Stripe (how disputes work, Dispute object), Adyen (dispute flow, Visa chargebacks) and Braintree (chargebacks and retrievals overview). All accessed November 2026.

The short version

Term	What it is	Money moves?	Counts toward network dispute ratios?
Dispute	The umbrella word for a cardholder questioning a payment with their bank	Depends on the stage	Depends on the stage
Inquiry / retrieval request / request for information	The bank asks you for details about a payment before deciding anything	No	Not as a chargeback
Chargeback	The formal reversal: the bank takes the funds back while the case is decided	Yes	Yes, won or lost
Pre-arbitration / second chargeback	The issuer (or you) pushes back after the first round	Can move again	Part of the same case
Arbitration	The card network itself rules	Yes, plus network fees	Part of the same case

The rest of this article explains each row.

Dispute: the umbrella term

“Dispute” is the generic word. Stripe uses it for the whole process, from the first question to the final decision, and its Dispute object covers both inquiries and chargebacks. On Stripe, the status tells you which one you have: statuses starting with warning_ are inquiries, and needs_response, under_review, won and lost are chargebacks.

When someone on your team says “we got a dispute”, the first question is therefore: is it an inquiry or a chargeback?

Inquiry, retrieval request, request for information

These three names describe the same idea: the cardholder’s bank asks for information about a payment before it decides whether to open a chargeback.

• Stripe calls it an inquiry and notes that it is sometimes also called a “retrieval” or a “request for information”. Stripe’s how disputes work page says American Express and Discover use this phase most often, while Visa and Mastercard no longer use it.
• Adyen calls it a Request for Information (RFI). Its dispute flow page describes it as a stage where no money is withdrawn, but warns that if you do not respond in time, a chargeback may follow.
• Braintree calls it a retrieval. Its overview says a retrieval is a customer’s request for more detail about a charge they do not recognize, that it is non-financial, and that it cannot be won or lost.

Why you should still answer

An inquiry costs nothing on its own, which tempts teams to ignore it. That is a mistake. Adyen’s pages for some networks are blunt: for UnionPay, if you do not answer an RFI and a chargeback follows, the chargeback is undefendable; for Diners/Discover, you might not be able to defend it.

A good inquiry response is short and factual. Braintree suggests including the transaction date, amount and statement descriptor. For a subscription, add what the customer bought, when they signed up, the plan and billing interval, and evidence they used the account. Often the cardholder simply did not recognize the line on their statement; once the bank explains it, the case ends there.

Inquiry statuses on Stripe

Stripe status	Meaning
warning_needs_response	Inquiry waiting for your answer
warning_under_review	You answered; the bank is reviewing
warning_closed	Closed without becoming a chargeback

If an inquiry escalates, the status moves to needs_response, and funds are withdrawn.

Chargeback: the formal reversal

A chargeback is the stage with financial effect. The issuing bank reverses the payment through the card network, and the processor debits the amount from your balance while the case is decided. On Stripe, a dispute fee is charged at this point; in the US, Stripe’s pricing page lists $15, plus a separate $15 countered fee if you contest, returned if you win. Braintree’s pricing lists a $15 chargeback fee for standard US merchants. Other processors and countries differ.

Every chargeback carries a reason code from the card network: for example Visa 10.4 (card-absent fraud) or 13.2 (cancelled recurring transaction), Mastercard 4837 (no cardholder authorization) or 4841 (cancelled recurring or digital goods). Stripe maps these to simpler categories such as fraudulent or subscription_canceled on its categories page. The reason code decides what evidence matters; see chargeback reason codes for subscriptions.

Two facts about chargebacks surprise many teams:

1. Winning does not erase it. Stripe’s measuring disputes page says all disputes, won or lost, count toward your dispute rate. Card network monitoring programs work the same way.
2. You cannot refund your way out once it is open. Stripe’s dispute withdrawals FAQ explains that you cannot refund a charge while a dispute is pending, because the bank has already returned the money to the cardholder.

How long you have

Deadlines are short. Stripe says you usually have 7 to 21 days to respond, depending on the network, and the exact date is on each dispute. Cardholders, on the other hand, have much longer to file: Stripe’s how disputes work page says networks typically allow about 120 days from the payment, and more in some situations. For a monthly subscription, that means several past renewals can be disputed at once.

Pre-arbitration and second chargebacks

If you defend a chargeback and the issuer still disagrees, the case can go to a second round. Adyen’s Visa chargebacks page describes two Visa workflows:

• Collaboration (consumer disputes and processing errors): the issuing bank can open a pre-arbitration after reviewing your evidence. If it is accepted, the dispute is lost and you receive a second chargeback.
• Allocation (fraud and authorization): Adyen files a pre-arbitration case with your documents, and the bank has 30 days to respond.

Other networks have their own names and timelines. JCB, for instance, uses a second chargeback with a 35-day window, per Adyen’s JCB page. Braintree groups this stage under “pre-arbs” in its overview.

Arbitration

Arbitration is the last step: the card network itself decides. It carries network fees on top of processor fees; Adyen’s pages mention, for example, a USD 600 filing fee under Visa’s arbitration process. Few subscription disputes get this far, because the amounts are usually small compared with the fees.

Related terms you will meet

• Early fraud warning (EFW). Not a dispute. The issuer tells the network a payment was reported as fraud. Stripe exposes them as separate objects; see Stripe early fraud warnings.
• Friendly fraud / first-party misuse. A cardholder disputes a payment they did make. See friendly fraud in subscriptions.
• Refund. Something you initiate. A refund before a dispute is opened can prevent one; after a chargeback, the money already went back through the bank.
• Reversal. On Stripe, a refund processed quickly enough to be a reversal of the authorization rather than a refund; Stripe’s EFW docs explain why the difference matters for fraud reporting.

What to do at each stage

Stage	Your move
Inquiry	Answer fast with plain facts: what, when, descriptor, usage. Consider a refund if the customer clearly did not want the charge.
Chargeback	Read the reason code and deadline. Decide whether to fight or accept (see refund or fight). Build evidence for that reason code.
Pre-arbitration	Only continue if you have new, strong evidence; fees rise at each step.
Any stage	Cancel future renewals on a card reported as stolen, so the next charge does not create a new case.

Doing this with NoChurn

NoChurn shows each Stripe and Braintree dispute with its stage, reason and deadline, and gathers evidence automatically: cancel flow answers, emails NoChurn sent, usage you send by API and conversations from your help desk (read only). It drafts a reply with AI, and nothing is sent until a person on your team has reviewed it. Disputes from other providers are shown read only, and on Paddle, Lemon Squeezy and Polar the merchant of record handles them. The bank still decides every case. See chargebacks and pricing.